By
Alex Smith |
Debuting in March 2022, Discovery Princess is the sixth and final Royal-class vessel to be built for Princess Cruises, and the third to be built specifically to accommodate its MedallionClass cruise experience. The ship will bring a host of new features and experiences to the Princess Cruises fleet, says Crystal Morgan, director of deployment planning for Princess Cruises.
“Guests will be able to enjoy 270-degree sweeping views from the largest balconies in our fleet, unwind in ultimate comfort at The Sanctuary, and indulge with world-class dining options from Michelin-starred chefs,” she says. “Plus, Princess Live Entertainment will present spectacular new productions that can only be seen in our state-of-the-art Princess Theatre. And with a variety of dining options, more connected rooms, more pools and spas, Discovery Princess will offer more ways than ever for families to connect.”
MedallionClass guests each receive a wearable device, the Medallion, either in the mail before leaving home or when they depart the terminal. This is used to power personalised services across the ship.
“With MedallionClass, guests receive the ultimate in effortless, personalised cruising, from touch-free boarding to locating loved ones anywhere on the ship, as well as enhanced services to enable them to have whatever they need delivered directly to them wherever they are on the ship,” says Morgan. “Guests can enjoy fast, reliable wi-fi, ‘TrulyTouchless’ experiences and so much more.”
Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Princess Cruises planned for Discovery Princess to sail in Europe, the Caribbean and South America for her inaugural season, before redeploying to the West Coast of the USA in 2022. However, the West Coast sailings have now been moved to the start of the ship’s operation.
“It was important to us to bring one of our Royal-class ships to the West Coast,” says Morgan. “Now, Discovery Princess will have an inaugural season of California coastal voyages and Mexico sailings out of Los Angeles, California, and then along with the Inside Passage in Alaska out of Seattle, Washington, in the summer. She will be the youngest ship to visit Alaska and the youngest to set sail from Seattle.”
As one of Princess Cruises’ most popular regions, the West Coast itineraries offer guests the chance to return to some of their favourite destinations. The ship will call at ports including Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway in Alaska on cruises from Seattle, while sailings from Los Angeles will visit San Diego in Florida, Ensenada in Mexico, and Vancouver in Canada.
“When Discovery Princess sails in March, she will be the third Royal-class ship in the Pacific Ocean region and will mark the first time we have our newest ship on the West Coast, so that’s exciting for us,” says Morgan. “These West Coast itineraries are always popular, and our guests love sailing to Mexico. For Alaska, we always include our usual ports for the summer season, and each is an enduring favourite. Even for those guests who have been to these Alaskan ports before, there’s so much variety in excursions and activities that it’s possible to have a completely different experience every time.”
With Princess Cruises bringing several of its ships back into service for 2022, it has seen an eagerness amongst guests to return to sailing, a sentiment which Morgan shares.
“As time goes on, we are seeing an increase in demand for all 2022 sailings, including Discovery Princess,” she says. “These itineraries on Discovery Princess do not include new ports, but the ship is picking up our most popular deployments on the West Coast, so we know guests are excited about that. And I’m most excited about Alaska too. Even though it’s the same itinerary we’ve had in the past, we’re the leader in Alaska cruise vacations, so it will be great to see our new ship sailing there from Seattle.”
This article was first published in the 2022 issue of Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
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